I like the idea of salvage rights. P&H know they cannot physically prevent such an event if it were to take place - their only means of preventing it is to enter into an agreement with the Probes.
Their idea of using a contract just proves to me they are nothing more than pencil pushing middle managers who have been told the same old song ever middle manager gets from superiors, "if it works it was my idea and my credit, if it fails it was you idea and your [posterior]." They are scared for their jobs and possibly their lives. They need the agreement more than the Probes do. They will cave in if pressured sufficiently.
Daniel seems to have a plan. He clearly left a message for Andrew to wait and has now openly stated the night is when the rescue action should take place. If his plan works, there will not be such immediate need for the Probes to consider working with P&H. That will make their bargaining position even stronger.
I say do not respond to the contract. Let's formulate an alternative to have in reserves. It should obligate P&H to supply "current and ALL future access and security codes, software, and/or other means of access and control of the 'spider probes' sent by Brunel Brauer, its associates or assigns now or in the future..." and so on. (Dating a former Law student must have rubbed off on me. ;-) In other words, let's fight fire with fire. Let's shove a contract down their throats that they don't want to swallow.
Koala, Captain, Team Andrew